Before the trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors explored the possibility of bringing Kevin Durant back to the team. To understand his perspective on leaving the Phoenix Suns for a potential reunion, Stephen Curry reached out to his former teammate directly.
According to sources cited by ESPN, Durant expressed to Curry that returning to the Warriors didn’t “feel right” and that it “wasn’t the time.”
Curry explained his conversation with Durant to ESPN, saying, “You need everybody to be all bought in no matter what the history you have. And I respect KD. It’s all about having peace of mind and happiness.”
He added, “Neither one of us controlled that [trade] situation. It’s just you want to make sure somebody wants to be somewhere. Other than that, I’m not trying to convince anybody to be somewhere they don’t want to be.”
Curry emphasized that he holds “no hard feelings, no resentment” toward Durant.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also shared his perspective, saying, “I don’t blame Kevin one bit for not wanting to rerun things here. He took so much s— for like, ‘Oh, you’re jumping on the bandwagon’ [when he signed with Golden State as a free agent in 2016]. And then he’s Finals MVP two years in a row. It’s like he still gets criticized. So why would he want to face all that B.S. again?”
The Warriors believed they had a deal in place with the Phoenix Suns to acquire Durant, but only if he approved the move.
After Durant declined, Golden State shifted its focus and completed a trade with the Miami Heat to bring in Jimmy Butler before the trade deadline.
Stephen Curry: 'No Hard Feelings, No Resentment' Toward Kevin Durant For Passing On Warriors' Return https://t.co/IXACWYsn2M
— RealGM (@RealGM) February 14, 2025
